The Days Of Saving The Galaxy Are Over
by cassie.hack
Summary: Set after ME3. Mainly my idea of what might happen to all the characters after the ending... while Miranda & Shepard try to keep their household intact...
1. Chapter 1

**"I Think My Days Of Saving The Galaxy Are Over When This Is** **Done..."**

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_New A/N: Yup, it's my old one-shot. I decided to put all one-shots into one story as not to pester everyone else on this site with all those updates and trust me: there will be more... :) Turned out that those one-shots _have_ something in common... Let's say they're my additional ending-DLC, telling what might happen to all those characters from the trilogy... The first two chapters are the one-shots I've already published (and deleted, in case you wondered) but there are two new ones for all of you who've read the "old" stuff already (wouldn't want to annoy you... :) )  
_

* * *

_A/N: I was just reading some Liara/Femshep stories about their future after the defeat of the reapers and that made me wonder how Miri/Femshep's future would look like. As much as I'd like for them to have kids but the only possibility (aside from adopting, threesomes and so on...) would be for Shep to be the one giving birth and let's face it: Shep is not a mother (at least I can't see mine as one... :) ).  
To the story real quick: I don't really care about which ending Shepard chose and I also don't care how they rebuilt the galaxy/cities, they just have... :)__ The rest of the story should be pretty clear... If you've still got any questions, feel free to ask...  
_

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Shepard let her eyes wander over the city's skyline outside her window. She was leaning against the window's frame, a steaming cup of coffee in her hand.

To her great satisfaction, she couldn't make out any unusual activities outside their apartment building.

_Good, so the reporters haven't found us yet,_ she thought while taking a sip from the cup in her hand, silently thanking Liara for her help in covering her tracks over the last couple of years. After the defeat of the reapers and Shepard's almost-death, the decision to finally let the galaxy handle its own problems and take a step back hadn't been that hard for her to make. She'd resigned, finally deciding that enough was enough. She wasn't cut out for politics and given her fame, it had been close to impossible for her to get assigned to any mission that didn't hold the word "suicide" in its description. It seemed that the entire galaxy still believed in Shepard's immortality, oblivious to the exhaustion that so-called "fate" had demanded so far...

A clacking sound behind her jolted her out of her thoughts and a smile spread across her face as she turned around and recognised the intruder.

"There you are... Is she awake? Did you wake her up?"

The varren plodded towards her, expectantly raising his head so Shepard could caress the back of his head. She took another sip from her coffee before sighing and pushing herself off the window frame. "If she's mad 'cause you woke her up, I'll hold _you_ responsible for it..." she told the varren who followed her into the next room.

Another warm smile appeared on Shepard's face as she saw the movement under her bed's blanket.

"Jack sends her regards," she announced.

Her smile widened at the groan coming from the bed as a pillow was pulled over dark hair. The pyjak who'd been sleeping on it shot an angry glare at Shepard on behalf of its owner, whose head was currently covered by the pillow stolen from under him, before he curled back into a ball. Shepard winked at the pyjak, amazed at how similar his glare had become by now. _Just like her..._

"At least I think that's what she tried to say in her message... They actually got a lot nicer since Kelly took it upon herself to read them before sending..."

A hand appeared from under the blanket, dismissively waving at the door.

"That's wonderful. Tell her to stop pestering us with her vid-comm calls in the middle of the night in hopes that she might catch a glimpse... Now, if you could please take that varren out of our bedroom and let me sleep before I fully wake up, that would be much appreciated," came Miranda Lawson's muffled voice. Shepard gave a short laugh.

"You _do_ remember that we've got to look after Liara's girls today, right? They should be here within the next hour..."

Another groan came from under the pillow. "Tell me again why we took on this job..."

"Because I still remember the spark in your eyes when we visited them the first time... I might even be able to imitate your expression, if that would help you remember..." Shepard quickly evaded the pillow thrown at her before continuing, "And I think you even referred to them as 'adorable'... Hm, maybe Liara still has that audio file somewhere in her archives..."

Miranda's head shot up, her hair slightly tousled. "My eyes didn't sparkle." And seeing Shepard's imitation of her expression that fateful day and realising that she didn't have another pillow to throw (and her pyjak had grown on her by now, so that option was out of the question as well...), she simply growled while narrowing her eyes dangerously, the pyjak next to her imitating her expression. Unlike Shepard, the varren got the warning and hurriedly left the room.

"Let me make this perfectly clear: I did _NOT_ make kissy-faces and I did _NOT _wring my hands like some bloody lunatic!" she exclaimed, trying to reclaim her honor.

"Yes you did, and you know it. It was cute though..."

"I am not-"

"-In an _extremely _sexy way, may I add..."

Satisfied, Miranda climbed out of the bed and approached Shepard who was still standing in the door frame.

"How long, did you say, before Liara drops them off?"

* * *

"Shepard, there's someone at our door," Miranda unnecessarily stated, still smiling at Shepard's arms tightly wrapped around her from behind.

"Yeah, I know," She sighed into Miranda's neck before releasing her and letting her finish her breakfast in the kitchen while she approached the door where an excited varren was already pacing back and forth.

"Commander Shepard, I'm sure you remember me... We-"

"Allers?"

Shepard quickly stepped into the hallway, motioning her varren to wait inside their apartment as the door closed behind her. Shepard crossed her arms in front of her chest, suddenly realising how cold the hallway was as she was standing there dressed only in a N7-shirt and short pants she wore in bed.

"I thought I made myself clear when I said I didn't want to give any more interviews, Allers. How did you find me, anyway?"

Diana Allers provocatively placed a hand on her hip and smiled. "I have my sources, Commander... But don't worry, you weren't exactly easy to find. I'm not sure I had gotten this information if I hadn't worked with you on the Normandy before..."

"Yeah, yeah, get to the point." Shepard dismissively waved her hand at the reporter. "Which part of 'I'm not going to answer any of your questions' didn't you understand? And by the way, it's not 'Commander' anymore. I'm a civilian now, leading a normal and may I add _very_ dull life."

"But I'm sure you still have connections... The galaxy would love to know what happend to your old team, well, aside from Mr. Moreau who seems to take every chance he gets to shove his face in front of a camera... Our viewers still need time to process the information about his human/robot-relationship with your former ship's AI... Even in these modern times, those things still take time, believe it or not..."

Shepard's expression didn't change.

"What about Mr. Vakarian? Is it true that he's in a relationship with admiral Tali'Zorah vas, whatever ship she's now serving on or coming from? Our audience would love to get an exclusive insight into their everyday life... And what about the former convict who, after temporarily teaching at Grissom Academy, suddenly took off with some of her former students in order to, as I recall from the smearing on the Alliance Building, "_Teach those sissies how to live a real life"_? Then there's missing technology used to build the Crucible worth millions of credits. And of course, there's still the unsolved mystery of a former Cerberus operative who disappeared as soon as the Alliance wanted her for questioning after the defeat of the reapers, regarding her past with Cerberus..." Diana's hopeful smile soon vanished as Shepard's expression still didn't change, causing Diana to throw her hands up in defeat.

"Alright, I see you're still not willing to talk to an old friend." And not the slightest bit irritated by Shepard's raised eyebrow, she continued, "Anyway, if you change your mind, make sure to contact me. Anytime..."

"You're not going to tell anyone about my location?"

"Please... If I can't have the interview, no one else can!" Diana stated as she turned around. But before she walked away, she turned her head one last time, adding over her shoulder, "It was good to see you again, _Commander_. You look happy..." And with a wink, she walked down the empty hallway, her camera bot (which hadn't been recording as Shepard had reassured herself the second she'd recognised the reporter) following close behind.

While waiting for the elevator doors to close behind Diana Allers, Shepard quickly scanned the hallway one last time just to make sure there weren't any other surprises, before she entered the apartment again.

"Who was that?" Miranda's voice came out of the kitchen.

"Erm..."

"And don't even try to come up with a lie." Miranda was standing in the door frame, hand on her hip while carefully observing Shepard, who could have sworn it had sounded like Miranda had sat on the kitchen table only a second ago.

Shepard started scratching the nape of her neck, trying to avert Miranda's gaze. "Erm... Diana Allers...?"

* * *

"I swear, if that bloody woman has had the nerve to come back again, I _will_ use Liara's threat and flay her al- Well, hello there, little ones!"

Shepard was standing behind Miranda a second later, the sudden change in her lover's voice immediately telling her who was standing in front of the door this time. "Sparkling..." she whispered into Miranda's ears but her former XO decided to simply ignore her.

Liara's cheeks were slightly flushed while she smiled at Shepard and Miranda, who both immediately took a step back to let the asari enter their apartment. "They've been excited about this visit the entire morning," Liara explained while loosening the grip on her older daughter's hand, which the young asari took as a chance to throw her arms around Shepard's legs.

"Shepard."

"Shiala," Shepard greeted in feigned seriousness before raising the young asari who'd been named after her father.

Liara and Miranda both rolled their eyes at Shepard's and Shiala's ongoing joke about "uncle" Wrex's old greeting. Sighing, Miranda lifted Liara's younger daughter out of her mother's arms.

"And you're sure they won't be a bother? I'll make sure to pick them up before bed time! I'm sure the reading won't take that long... Goddess, I only hope Javik comes prepared. I wasn't able to reach him this morning and whenever I tried to tell him how important it was to prepare at least a little, friendly speech, he just hang up on me... You know how he is..."

Miranda nodded while rocking Benezia in her arms. "I'm surprised you managed to complete the book at all..."

Liara sighed heavily and rubbed her temples at the memory of her endless arguments with the Prothean. "Never again!" she declared. That moment, her omni-tool started blinking and she was back to her own, nervous self again. "Goddess, I need to go. Are you sure-"

Miranda interrupted her by nodding and silently pointing at Shepard who was sitting on the living room's carpet, admiring Shiala's flickering singularity (which, to both Miranda's and Liara's great relief wasn't nearly strong enough yet to do any damage to the household).

"We'll be fine. But I guess I better get over there before Shepard decides to show her how a real singularity looks like. Although we can easily live off the Alliance's provided creds, I don't think it's necessary to replace the entire interior furnishings every other week..."

Liara nodded smiling. "Thank you. For everything," she said before she shot another quick glance at her omni-tool and quickly hugged Miranda, squeezed Benezia's small hand, waved to Shepard and Shiala (no response) and then finally turned and left the apartment.

As soon as the door had closed again, Miranda turned towards the living room. "Well, let's see what your sister and our great saviour of the galaxy are up to..." And leaning in close, she whispered into Benezia's ear, "My adorable little niece..."

* * *

_A/N: I admit it, I was pretty lazy with the babies' names, sorry... also couldn't come up with a better father for them in this short time, but Shiala's nice enough, right? Oh and don't ask me how that whole niece-thing works, but it's sci-fi... :) This was a really quick scrabble, so sorry if there are any mistakes, pot holes and stuff like that, just felt the need to write it down... :)  
And don't worry, I'm still working on my ME3 story, might still take a little while though...  
Ugh, the sweetness and all this lovey-dovey, I think I need a shower now... ;)  
_


	2. Chapter 2

**"Got any pets? You look like a varren person."**

.

_A/N: Huh, I start to like writing stupid stuff like that...  
This one's actually kinda LeeneSR2's fault... You're right, Miranda wasn't amused about a pet varren... :)  
On another sidenote: is it just me or turn those One-Shots kinda into a sitcom? Just imagine the applause whenever a new crew member appears... know what I mean now? :) This one's actually pretty stupid and I wouldn't upload it if I weren't so tired, and I definitely wouldn't upload it tomorrow anymore (ugh, I should stop writing at night), so... You've been warned..._

.**  
**

"Shepard, what is that?" Miranda had raised her eyes from the datapad she'd been reading while she accusingly nodded in Shepard's direction.

"This, my dear, is a varren, also known as a batarian war beast!" Shepard announced proudly while patting the varren's head.

Miranda's eyebrow slowly rose. "I can see that... But what's it doing in our apartment?"

"It's our new pet! Since my space hamster tragically died during our fight against the Reapers, and yes, I still blame Joker's flight skills for that, and the Alliance decided that, after I refused to take on any new missions from them, my fish collection was suddenly Alliance property... I found us a new pet!"

As if it had already realised whose decision it would be in the end if it could stay or not, the varren plodded towards Miranda's chair. The former Cerberus operative's expression didn't change as she watched the pet-on-trial approaching her. The varren's nose lightly touched Miranda's knee, still not provoking any sign of approval from her.

"Aw, he likes you," Shepard exclaimed, Miranda's narrowed eyes on her only seconds later.

Sighing, Miranda put the datapad containing the first version of "Journeys with the Prothean" on the nearby table, crossed her legs ("accidentally" hitting the varren in the process) and started rubbing her temples.

"You _do_ realize that he eats pyjaks, right?"

"What? No! Well, mine doesn't! Isn't that right? You'd never eat a pyjak, would you? No, you wouldn't..." Shepard had knelt down and was caressing the back of the varren's head now. "You could still get a pyjak, if you wanted..." she offered.

Miranda groaned at the memory of Shepard's "offer" a couple of weeks ago and, just like then, she declared, "Shepard, this isn't a zoo!" _Besides, I still remember the stories about you running over pyjaks with the Mako, not to mention your pyjak shooting on Tuchanka... Or the lonesome one you just knocked off the table... That poor creature..._

"So...?"

Miranda sighed. "We'll see..."

* * *

A moan escaped her lips while she tightened her grip on the bedsheet, almost ripping it apart. That was until she felt something cold touch her hand, and considering that Shepard was occupied at the moment, that only left one other option...

"Shepard, it's in our bedroom!"

Shepard's head rose, a puzzled expression on her face. Miranda let out a cry, this time definitley not of the sort from before, and pointed at the side of their bed.

"Get it out!" she demanded, her eyes already dangerously narrowing again.

"Shoo." Shepard's hand dismissively waved towards the varren, her head comfortably resting on Miranda's belly. The varren simply tilted his head while his dark eyes curiously followed the movement of Shepard's hand.

"Get. It. Out!"

Shepard sighed heavily once and then finally crawled out of the bed, the varren happily following her out of their bedroom.

When she was sure the varren had left the room, Miranda sank back into the pillows, covering her face with her hands to steady her racing heart (although now it was almost impossible to tell whether that was because of Shepard's talents or her sudden anger about their intruder) while listening to Shepard's voice coming out of their living room.

"Sit. Good boy. Now stay. No, stay there! Ugh... Sit. Good... and now stay... Stay! Oh, for the love of..."

A smile appeared on Miranda's face until she heard fast, heavy footsteps, followed by Shepard storming into their bedroom and immediately locking the door behind her.

"Done," she announced, running a hand through her tousled hair before climbing back into the bed.

"I wouldn't call that- mmmmh..."

Shepard obviously didn't want to waste any more time talking about their new pet as she'd already started trailing kisses down the valley between Miranda's breasts, stopping only momentarily at her belly to raise her head. "Hm? What was that?"

_Goddamn it, you're lucky you're so talented..._

* * *

"I swear, if that bloody creature has trashed anything of value in our living room, I'll throw it out of the window like my father!" Miranda announced as she pulled the robe closer around her body before opening the bedroom door. Shepard shuddered at the memory and quickly followed her out of the room.

They were greeted by a sleeping varren, sprawled out on the living room carpet, one leg twitching from time to time. Miranda felt Shepard wrap her arms around her from behind.

"Aww..." Shepard had rested her chin on Miranda's shoulder while Miranda, still not convinced, scanned the room for any signs of damage.

As she could find none, Miranda simply shook her head in dismissal and turned towards the kitchen, while announcing, "This doesn't mean anything..."

* * *

"Admit it, you're starting to like him..."

Miranda's head shot up from the bowl of cereals in front of her. She carefully chewed on the mouthful of her breakfast she'd just taken while expressionlessly looking at Shepard (who was nodding encouragingly) and then, very slowly, shook her head. Shepard smirked. "I know you are..."

A ringing noise made them both turn their heads towards the door and obviously woke up the sleeping varren as well, who was speeding past the kitchen door only seconds later.

"I'll get it." Shepard put the cup of coffee back on the table and left the kitchen.

"Shepard."

_Oh god, no._ Miranda inwardly groaned.

"Wrex."

"Eve sends her regards, she couldn't make it what with all the repopulation..." Wrex's deep booming laugher reverberated around their entire apartment. And judging by the heavy footsteps, Shepard was leading their guest right towards the kitchen.

Miranda hastily started shoveling the rest of her cereals into her mouth, almost choking in the process, to make sure she could leave the kitchen before...

"Ms. Lawson."

"Wrex." Miranda winced at her poor choice of words, shooting an angry glare at Shepard who was standing behind Wrex, nodding approvingly at her greeting.

"Don't mind me," Wrex told her while he sat down on the chair on the opposite side of the table. "Just wanted to see how Urz's offspring is doing..."

_I should have known... _"So she got it from you?"

"Grunt, actually... Sends his regards, too," he added, addressing Shepard over his shoulder. "At least some of us still understand how important their work to ensure the safety of the galaxy is, now that our great hero has retired..." He elbowed Shepard, who almost lost her balance in the process, rubbing her aching side as soon as he'd turned his head again.

"Ha! Don't worry Shepard, can't really blame you. Humans have always been and always will be nothing but soft, fleshy, whiny-"

"-Do I need to remember you who took down that Thresher Maw during Grunt's Rite of Passage?" Shepard crossed her arms over her chest.

Wrex gave another booming laugh. "That's right. Even got you a breeding request..."

Before she could hear anything more she wouldn't get out of her mind for days, Miranda got up from her chair, cleared away her (now empty) bowl and turned to leave the room, touching Shepard's arm lightly as she passed her by. "I'll, um... I think I'll go check on Oriana. She hasn't replied to my messages in a while and I'm getting a bit worried..."

"You mean you're going to spy on her again..." Shepard corrected as Miranda crossed the hallway leading to the living room. "What if she's just having a good time with that guy, what's his name? Daniel?"

"Danner Gossimah!" came Miranda's voice from her terminal in the living room.

Shepard nodded. "Right. So, what if it's him? Let her have her fun, what's wrong with that? I'm sure he's a good catch..."

"Not since the Citadel got destroyed and his parents lost all their restaurants..."

Shepard rolled her eyes. "Women..." she muttered.

"Tell me about it..." Wrex nodded understandingly.

* * *

"So, are you sure you don't want a couple more? You know they are pack hunters..."

"And he definitely won't hunt _anything_ around here, so there's no need for even more of those creatures!" Miranda's voice rang out of the living room.

Shepard nodded apologetically. "I think one's fine... For now..."

"Forever!"

Wrex gave a short laugh at Miranda's outcry. "And you're happy with the color of his markings? Not too blue? You could get a brown one if you wanted... He's also pretty small..." Although neither Shepard nor Wrex could see it, Miranda's eyebrow immediately shot up at that statement. "But that's how you wanted him, right?"

"He's perfect," Shepard declared while patting the varren's head.

"Well, if you change your mind..." Wrex offered one last time before their goodbyes began.

"Shepard."

"Wrex."

"Ms. Lawson."

"Wrex."

* * *

"Miri, have you seen my dress?"

"Which dress?"

"Funny... I only have one dress, remember? Kasumi's gift?"

"Why?"

"Because I was thinking about visiting Aria's new nightclub and I can't go there dressed like a soldier. They'd recognise me!"

"You would have gone there without me?"

"No, but I thought if I had everything prepared already, including a skycar waiting for us outside, you wouldn't get a chance to back out..."

Miranda appeared in the door frame leading to their bedroom where Shepard was just about to crawl under their bed.

"You could have just asked..." Miranda stated, trying hard not to pout.

"I know how you feel about nightclubs... Aria's especially..." Shepard's muffled voice came from under their bed.

Miranda sighed. "Well, we can't stay indoors all the time, can we? It actually might be a good idea..." she mused while turning towards the living room to close her terminal she'd left before. As she passed the kitchen door, a sudden movement made her turn her head.

"Erm, Shepard... Maybe you should look for it in the kitchen..." she started.

"In the kitchen? Why should I look there for my dress? I know, I might not be the most experienced woman when it comes to dresses, but I certainly wouldn't keep them in... the... what the...?" Shepard was standing behind Miranda now, both staring at its occupant. "Bad varren! How'd he even get that out of my wardrobe?"

Miranda couldn't hold back her laughter any longer. She lovingly wrapped an arm around Shepard who was still staring wide-eyed at the varren chewing happily on her dress. "Okay, it can stay." Miranda offered. And warningly, she added, "But I swear, if that... thing wakes me up in the morning just once with his cold nose..."


	3. Chapter 3

**"I was just waiting for you to finish getting dressed..."**

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"No!"

"What's wrong with black?"

"It's not the color, Shepard, it's... just no!"

Shepard started rubbing the nape of her neck while looking at her own reflection in the mirror, trying to figure out what was wrong with the dress she'd just tried on. Miranda sighed and got up from her chair in the waiting area of the boutique, hurriedly making her way over to where Shepard was standing before any more male customers could get sparkling eyes at the sight.

Protectively (and maybe a little territorially) positioning herself in front of Shepard, blocking the curious admirers' view in the process, she gestured towards Shepard's exposed thighs. "Don't you think it's a little... revealing?" she asked cautiously.

"Yeah, but the salesgirl said that's how people dress these days..."

"The one who almost fell into your cleavage when you wore that last dress?"

Shepard's eyes narrowed. "You think she did that on purpose?"

"Making you try out one short-cut outfit after the other for the last hour? No, I think that was a bloody coincidence..." Miranda threw her hands up in frustration and took a few steps back while a sighing Shepard disappeared in the cabin again.

"Maybe Kelly still has her stripper-outfit..." Miranda suggested while examining some displayed outfits. _Ugh, does this shop even have outfits that don't scream 'slut'? Speaking of... maybe she's here somewhere, I wouldn't be surprised..._

"Nope, I've already asked her..." Shepard's voice immediately brought Miranda back to reality. Her head shot back to the cabin where Shepard's face appeared from behind the curtain only seconds later, a wide grin on her face.

"That was a joke," she declared in EDI's artificial voice. "She told me about it when I met her in the Holding Area on the Citadel. She doesn't have it anymore, don't worry..."

Miranda rolled her eyes and turned to walk back to her chair, but Shepard's pleading voice made her stop.

"Miri, help me out here. How am I supposed to pick out a dress? I thought I was fine and I'd never have to buy one in my life anymore until our varren started chewing on the old one..."

Miranda waited until the smile on her face had vanished before she turned around. "Don't look at me, I always wear the same outfit and it suits me just fine..." she stated calmly.

A smirk appeared on Shepard's face. "Can I borrow one of yours, then?"

"Oh, don't pretend you've never tried them on before already..."

It might have just been the light of the boutique, but Miranda could have sworn, Shepard's cheeks reddened for just a second, before her smug smile was back in place. "Heh, I don't think I've got all the necessary assets to fill out an outfit like that..."

Miranda's eyebrow rose, once more troubled with the decision whether she should be displeased or flattered by Shepard's comment. Judging by the admiring look she got, Miranda decided it was the latter.

Sensing that Miranda was still not completly convinced by the compliment (as she had lowered her eyes and started to scratch her collarbone), Shepard stretched out her hand and pulled her former XO close.

"You know... I might need some help getting out of this dress..." she whispered in Miranda's ear and before the alerted male audience could start cheering, Shepard had pulled her into the cabin and closed the curtain.

Miranda was immediately shoved against the cabin wall, Shepard's mouth already on her neck.

"Shepard, this is hardly..." _Oh, fuck it!_

* * *

"I think this one fits you perfectly."

"Hm, I am afraid, I am not entirely convinced that this dress is to my taste... Would it be possible to open up this part of the garment some more?"

"Ma'am, this dress is already _very_ low-cut... I don't know if we'd be able to remove any more of the fabric..."

"I see..."

"Is that...?" Shepard's head shot up and it took Miranda some time to calm her racing heart after the sudden stop. She ran a hand through her hair and closed her eyes momentarily to collect her thoughts but opened them again only seconds later when she sensed that Shepard was about to leave the cabin. Infuriated by the sudden loss of Shepard's mouth all over her body, she roughly grabbed her arm, trying to hold her back.

"Shepard, don't! Let her go, she doesn't know we're here. I'm sure we'll walk into her some other time... you can talk to her then..."

But Shepard simply placed a quick kiss on Miranda's lip, causing her to loosen her grip in anticipation of a resumption of their previous activities, and left the cabin, leaving a slightly irritated Miranda behind. _No, no, no, no, no! Damn it, you bloody tease!_

"Samara?"

"By the goddess, Shepard, is that you? What are _you_ doing here?"

* * *

"So... Samara is still a Justicar... Big surprise..." Shepard mused while Miranda linked arms with her as soon as they'd left the boutique. In the end, Shepard had decided to buy a dress pretty similar to the one she'd gotten from Kasumi, although maybe a little longer and less revealing than the old one, as urged by Miranda...

"M-hm..." _You could have just searched the extranet for that information... or sent her a message... _"Listen, about before..."

"Shepard?"

_This just keeps getting better and better..._

"Shepard, it's really you! I could just hug you."

_Again?_ Miranda's eyebrow rose as Kelly approached them, her arms already outstretched.

"Come here."

Miranda's head shot back to Shepard, a shocked expression on her face at Shepard's reaction while said person greeted her former yeoman.

"Oh my gosh, what a coincidence!" Kelly took a step back. "We were just gonna-"

"-Go shop for new outfits?" Miranda murmured, only audible for Shepard, who immediately placed a calming hand on her hip, patting it lightly.

"-go in there." Kelly pointed at the boutique Shepard and Miranda had just left, smilingly nodding towards a woman standing behind her.

_Sure, why don't we just hold a bloody reunion party right here on the street..._

Samantha Traynor was politely waiting at a distance, waving shyly.

"So... are you two...?" Shepard gestured between the two women.

"Who? We? Oh, no..." Kelly giggled. "Jack wouldn't really like that... OK, well... maybe she would... All three of us, I mean..."

_Ugh, bad mental images!_

"But anyway... What brings you here? I haven't heard from you in ages!"

"Yeah..." Shepard started rubbing the nape of her neck while still absent-mindedly patting Miranda's hip, which Miranda decided to stop if it should continue for five more minutes... _I'm not your bloody varren!_ "We were... shopping... kinda..."

"The two of you? Together? That's soooo cute!" Kelly squeaked while signaling Samantha to step closer to their group. "Did you know that I've had my eyes on you for a while?" She winked at Shepard.

_No kidding... _Miranda quickly scanned their surroundings, musing whether anyone would miss a former Cerberus yeoman...

Shepard forced a smile, evading Kelly's eyes. "Really? Wow, I... had no idea..."

Kelly gave Shepard a playful slap on the arm while giggling. "Yeah, silly! I always knew you didn't notice, though. Hm... maybe I was just too self-effacing..."

Miranda snorted, but at Shepard's quick, disapproving shake of the head, hurriedly turned it into a cough. Kelly didn't seem to notice as she already went on, "But seeing you two together now... Oh well... Seems like we can't all have a piece of Commander Shepard, eh?" She nudged Samantha in the side who simply blushed and turned her head, still not saying a word.

"But that's okay, I guess... I've got Jack now," Kelly announced proudly.

Shepard quickly took the offered opportunity to change the topic. "How is she doing, by the way?"

"Jack?" Kelly shrugged. "Oh, who knows... Sometimes she's happy, sometimes she's angry... I tried to figure her out but she told me she wouldn't use her biotics in bed anymore if I'd try to analyze her, so I gave up on that..."

_Ugh! _Miranda shuddered.

"She's hanging out at Aria's new nightclub a lot... Dragging her students there and drinking until morning. And who has to come pick her up when the club closes its doors?" She unnecessarily pointed at herself. "Good old Kelly here... Ah, it's just great! We love each other!"

Even after scanning every inch of Kelly's face twice, Miranda couldn't make out any sign of sarcasm in it. Sighing inwardly, she decided that their former yeoman must have been telling the truth, or at least she believed every word she'd just said.

"Can we _please_ go now?" Miranda turned her head to disguise her whisper in Shepard's ear and Shepard inconspicuously nodded.

"Hey, guess who we just met in there?" Shepard pointed towards the boutique's door. "Samara!" she exclaimed and presented an over-the-top-smile.

"Samara's in there?" Kelly excitedly grabbed Samantha's hand and dragged her towards the boutique, waving her goodbyes to Shepard and Miranda while telling the silent Comm Specialist, "Oh, you _have_ to meet Samara! She's like soooo beautiful and cool!"

Shepard turned back to Miranda. "Well, that was..."

"Don't... say one bloody word!" Miranda warned, her index finger raised. "Can we just please go now?" _Before we meet someone else? God, we leave our apartment just one bloody time and everyone seems to be out here waiting for us..._

Shepard nodded, happily swaying the bag containing her newly acquired dress. "Our night out can come..."

_I can't bloody wait..._

"Oh, and I still owe you for that interruption back there..."

_I can't bloody wait!_

* * *

_A/N: How is it possible for all of those characters to suddenly meet each other at those random places? How would I know... :) Oh and don't pretend you never wondered about Samara's choice of clothing...!  
Ranting Miranda, anyone? Next chapter... :)  
_


	4. Chapter 4

**"I AM Omega!"**

.

_A/N: There's "some" swearing in this one, you've been warned... :)_

.

"Shepard, maybe this wasn't the best idea... Erm, maybe we should come here another night... We could just leave and... watch that new Blasto movie at home..."

Miranda had grabbed Shepard's arm and tried to pull her back towards the nightclub's entrance where they'd just come from. Shepard's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You told me you'd rather eat our varren's food than watch that movie. What's going on? Is something wrong?"

_They see you, Shepard! _Miranda forced a smile and waved her hand dismissively. "No, nothing's wrong, I just..."

"Well fuck me running... Shepard, over here!"

_Great, she's seen us..._

* * *

"So, what have you been up to lately, Jack?"

The tattooed woman took her eyes off the cheering students at a nearby table and turned her head towards Shepard, the amused smile on her face immediately being repressed.

"Ah, you know... After that Reaper-shit, I grabbed who was left from my students and we're having the time of our lives ever since. Heh, they wanted to put them into some new school..."

"The Alliance?" Miranda chimed in.

"Yeah, yeah... Told them where to shove it! They've done their deed, they don't owe them shit! Had to go through hell... I thought they deserve a good time for now. Besides, I can teach them how to use their biotics anywhere in this goddamn galaxy..."

Miranda's eyebrow rose. "Don't you think it's important for your students to have a stable enviroment? They might need psychological care after what they've been through..."

"Shit Shepard, no idea how you held out this long with her... Must be a good lay..." Miranda rolled her eyes at Jack's lecherous gaze, which didn't seem to impress the convict in the slightest. "Anyway, no one's gonna hold your hand in the real world. Better to learn that while you're still young and that's what I'm doing... Well, that and teaching them how to hold their liquor and shit..." she continued.

"Enjoying yourselves?" All heads turned as Aria sat down on a free seat at their table.

"Hell yeah, just keep the free drinks coming and we're having a blast!" Jack exclaimed but was silenced by Aria's look a second later.

"Actually, I was talking to my guest of honor..." Aria stated, her hand lightly brushing over Shepard's arm. "You know, the offer still stands..." she whispered.

Shepard shot a quick glance at Miranda sitting next to her, whose eyes were (as expected) fixed on Aria. "Erm, thanks again, but I think... we'll take you up on your promise as soon as we've discussed the matter some more..." And noticing Miranda clenching her teeth, Shepard hastily added, "And, of course, if we're still interested then... But thank you... for now..."

Aria shrugged. "Well, you know where to find me... Just keep in mind: you'd never know who the father was. Could make things a lot easier..."

She gracefully raised from the chair and made her way over to her private booth overlooking the dancefloor underneath.

"We are _NOT_ gonna have a bloody threesome with AriaT'Loak!" Miranda hissed in Shepard's ear.

* * *

"Damn it, why do _I_ always end up dragging your bloody wasted ass back home?" Miranda groaned as she pulled Shepard out of the patiently waiting skycar-taxi in front of their apartment building.

As soon as Shepard's liveless body had completely left the taxi, the driver quickly closed its door and sped away.

"Oh sure, don't mind me... I'm just carrying my bloody wasted girlfriend home, no need to get your bloody ass out of your bloody skycar and help me carry her! You bloody bastard!" she yelled after the taxi, startling a turian couple passing her by that moment. She shot an angry glare at the couple while securing Shepard's arm over her shoulders and dragging her towards the entrance of the building, not noticing the smile playing around Shepard's lips in her rage.

"Bloody useless fool!" she hissed through clenched teeth while smashing her omni-tool into the door controls.

"Sure, let's play some bloody drinking games like we did back in high school, I don't know how many bloody years ago, with Jack's bloody students who I'm sure are still mostly underage... But who cares? They've just been to hell and back but, thank god, they're still able to drink themselves senseless, so how bad can their trauma be?"

One of Shepard's boots made a squeking sound as Miranda pulled her towards the elevator.

"Oh, sure Jack, I can still drink you under the table just like old times, 'cause you see, nowadays, if I'm too bloody wasted to stay upright later, Miranda here's going to carry my bloody ass home 'cause that's what she's here for, after all..."

After a couple of failed attempts to lean Shepard against the opposite wall of the elevator cab, she gave an annoyed sigh and held onto the heavy body until the elevator had reached their floor.

"And I have no problem whatsoever to embarass my girlfriend in public by considering Aria's offer to have a bloody threesome with her just to get a baby, which I, Commander Shepard, definitely won't take care of since I'm not even able to take care of my-bloody-self!" she went on in her rant while dragging Shepard with her to their apartment door.

"God, I had to talk to Jack just to have at least some kind of distraction since you were paying me absolutely NO attention at all! Jack, of all people!"

"Identification affirmative. Welcome, resident," an artificial voice greeted after Miranda had placed her hand on the lock of their door (which turned out to be quite the challenge, considering that she still had to hold Shepard upright with her other arm).

"Ugh, finally." She exhaled and dragged Shepard into their apartment, shooting a quick angry glare at the happily approaching varren. "Not now!"

She sighed. "I don't even know how I was able to last that long alongside you bloody fool..."

"Because you love me," came Shepard's surprisingly sober response, followed by a heavy _thump_ as her body fell to the ground.

"Ow, was that out of surprise or revenge?" Shepard rubbed her arm while glancing up at Miranda.

"You were awake the entire bloody time?" Miranda crossed her arms in front of her chest, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Yeah, kinda... You know how fast alcohol wears off..."

Miranda took a deep breath while rubbing her temples. "Then why did I have to drag your _bloody_ ass home?"

Shepard smirked. "I had to save my strength to thank you for it afterwards..."

Miranda threw her arms in the air. "Preposterous!"

"Aw, come on... Why do you think I started acting like I was wasted in the first place? Did it never cross your mind that _maybe_ I just made sure we had a reason to leave?"

"You could have just told me! I have no problems letting your so-called friends down!" came Miranda's voice from the kitchen.

"Jack would have never let me go if she'd thought I was still sober, you know how she is..."

"She was sleeping on your lap, for fuck's sake! And you were... I don't even know how to call it. It's a wonder you didn't dislocate any of your limbs in the position you were lying on that couch... Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to untangle you two? And Aria wasn't much of a help either..." Miranda appeared in the kitchen's door frame, angrily clutching a glass of water in her hand.

"Huh, I thought I felt a hand on my-" As Miranda's eyes widened, Shepard quickly added, "Well, maybe I wasn't sober the _entire_ time on our way home..."

"And when exactly did you decide to sober up? Was it in that sticky, steamy skycar-taxi or afterwards, when I had to drag your bloody ass through the entire entrance area of this building?"

"Would it change anything?" Shepard nervously scratched the nape of her neck.

Miranda's eyes narrowed. "No!"

"I could have made myself a lot heavier if I'd wanted to..." Shepard offered, a cautious smile on her face.

Miranda snorted and turned towards the living room. "Why do I even bother?" she mumbled to herself while sitting down on the couch, facing a large window overlooking the planet's night traffic and city lights.

"Okay, yes, I admit it, I _may_ have drunk a little too much... And _maybe_, just maybe I did that because I didn't want to lose face in front of those young, agile, fresh-faced, vigorous-"

"-You think you're old?" Miranda interrupted her, a hint of a smile already appearing on her face.

"Kaidan said we are..." Shepard mumbled while approaching the couch's backrest, her face immediately lighting up as she noticed Miranda's smile reflecting in the windowpane. "But I wouldn't call us _old_... Maybe... more experienced..." she stated while leaning over her former XO, letting her hands slide down to both of her sides until she was supporting her weight by resting her hands on the couch on either side of Miranda's thighs. The deep breath Miranda took that moment widened her smile even more as she leaned in for a deep kiss.

Just as Miranda raised her hands to start tugging at Shepard's shirt, the sound of someone clearing his throat made Shepard jump backwards in surprise.

After a couple of tapping noises, Kasumi's figure appeared on a chair nearby as the tactical cloak was being turned off. "I hope I'm not interrupting..." she said, her smirk betraying her already.

"Erm, we were just..." Shepard nervously started rubbing the nape of her neck while Miranda straightened out her jumpsuit.

"Oh please... Shepard, don't even try..."

"How long have you been sitting there?"

Kasumi's smile widened. "Long enough... But don't worry, I'm here for Miranda..."

Shepard's head shot back to Miranda. And before Miranda could start to come up with an explanation, Shepard accusingly pointed a finger at her.

"You sent Kasumi to spy on your sister, didn't you?"

_Huh, and I thought I'd have to spend an hour reassuring her that I wasn't having an affair..._ She shrugged. "What? I was worried..."

"Ms. Lawson, that cold calculation again... I'm shocked!" Shepard announced mockingly and then turned to Kasumi. "And you helped her? How could you do that? Why would you spy on an innocent girl probably just having fun with her new boyfriend?" she accused.

The master thief simply shrugged her shoulders. "Hey, she offered me the location of a secret abandoned Cerberus lab..."

"You did _what_?"

"Cerberus doesn't exist any longer, so technically these technologies don't belong to anyone anymore..." Miranda defended her actions.

"Well, they're mine now..." Kasumi announced, while proudly patting her blinking omni-tool. "You should see all the new stuff I can do now..." She winked at Shepard who longingly stared at Kasumi's arm.

The awkward silence that followed was soon interrupted by Miranda clearing her throat. "So... Did you find out anything?"

Kasumi turned her head. "Yep. And Shep's right..."

Miranda's head shot up, looking at Shepard with a shocked expression on her face.

Shepard shrugged her shoulders. "What? Why can't _I_ have the right idea from time to time?" she asked offended.

Miranda shook her head and turned back to Kasumi. "So she's out with that... Danner?"

Kasumi nodded. "Yep. I've got some surveillance footage, followed them the entire day. They seem happy..."

"Yeah, too happy to tell her sister that she's okay..." Miranda grumbled.

A smile appeared under Kasumi's hood while she tapped a few quick commands into her omni-tool. "So, do you want the... _entire_ footage? I've got some interesting vids of them in-"

"-God, no! Wait, they did _what_?"

"Just kidding..."

* * *

_A/N: Danner, you're next... :)  
_


	5. Chapter 5

**"I hate him already."**

.

Miranda woke to a hand softly caressing her cheek. Sighing happily, she opened her eyes and was greeted by Shepard smiling at her warmly.

"Please tell me we don't have to leave the apartment today..." she murmured. _Or ever again..._

"We don't."

"Mmmh, good." Miranda inched closer to Shepard.

"You invited Oriana and Danner to visit us at home today..."

Miranda groaned. _Way to kill the mood... _She ran a hand through her hair before getting up. "You're right," she sighed. "I need to prepare..."

"Prepare?" Shepard propped her chin in the palm of her hand. "Prepare for what? A visit by your sister and her boyfriend?"

Miranda's eyes narrowed. "He's not her boyfriend!"

A smile spread across Shepard's face as she noticed Miranda's determination. "Wait a minute... You want to interrogate that poor boy!" she exclaimed.

"I simply have some questions for him..." Miranda corrected and before Shepard could say anything more, she gracefully approached their bedroom door. "There's still time before they arrive..." she offered over her shoulder, Shepard jumping out of their bed and racing after her the second Miranda's (or in this case Shepard's borrowed) shirt hit the floor.

* * *

"Erm, Miri, did you go through _all_ of Kasumi's surveillance footage?"

"No, I didn't have the time to- wait..." Miranda sped into the living room where Shepard was sitting at their terminal going through Kasumi's provided pictures and short videos, the towel she'd used to dry her hair after the shower still in her hand. "Did that sneaky little pervert actually-"

"Nah, don't worry... But it looks like she took a little detour... Wanna see Jacob's little baby boy?"

Miranda leaned over Shepard's shoulder and inspected the pictures showing Jacob and Brynn walking hand in hand through a park, taking turns in carrying a baby in their arms. The pictures were obviously taken from behind cover, judging by the leaves framing all of them, which, considering that Kasumi could have just used her tactical cloak, seemed rather strange... Shepard smiled. It seemed, the infamous thief still turned into a shy fangirl when it came to the object of her desire...

"Shepard, I'm not sure I still want a baby..." Miranda mused.

"Don't worry, ours would be beautiful!" Shepard reassured her while patting the hand Miranda had placed on Shepard's thigh to support her weight while leaning in closer to the monitor as they watched a video showing Jacob and Brynn sitting down on a bench, their voices barely audible.

Shepard gave a short laugh. "They've actually named him Shepard... Huh, I guess now we know who's wearing the pants in _that_ relationship..."

"They seem... happy..." _In a very exasperatedly, almost lunaticly kind of way, of course..._

Shepard gave a short laugh as if she'd heard Miranda's thoughts while she leaned back in her chair. "God, I'm just glad I never romanced him. Heh, bet that would have turned out _really_ awkward..." Miranda rolled her eyes, but before she could muster her sarcasm for yet another one of her famous remarks (after all, she had to save at least some of her sarcasm for their guests later...), their varren almost collided with her leg as he sped towards the door where the ringing sound of a doorbell (Shepard's nostalgic idea, of course...) had just come from. Throwing the towel over her shoulder at Shepard, she followed the varren out of the room and activated the door control.

"Oh, cute!" Oriana dropped to her knees the moment the door opened and immediately started caressing the back of the varren's head who seemed to enjoy the treatment. "He's so tiny..." she stated, her eyes sparkling. Although Shepard was still sitting in their living room and out of her view, Miranda was sure she was nodding at that comment right this second. The former Cerberus operative's eyes narrowed at the memory of all the discussions she'd had with Shepard about their pet's size whenever the "tiny" beast had almost knocked her off her feet when in desperate need of attention from its owners.

The shy boy standing next to Oriana, Danner, as Miranda assumed since she couldn't make out anyone else standing in the hallway (and yes, she'd checked it!), shyly averted his ocean blue eyes (_Huh, not gun metal blue like Shepard's..._), knelt down beside Oriana and stretched his hand out to pat the varren on the head, but withdraw it immediately as the pet started growling angrily.

Oriana's head shot up, her eyes narrowing accusingly at Miranda, who didn't even try to hold back her chuckle. "Did you train him to do that?"

"And how would I have managed _that_? It's Shepard's, he would never listen to _me_..." her sister answered with an innocent smile, inconspicuously winking at the varren when no one else was looking.

* * *

"So, Danner... I don't believe we've met yet." Miranda offered her hand, which Danner immediately grabbed. Raising an eyebrow at the boy's enthusiastic handshake, she continued. "I'm Miranda... Oriana's older sister."

"I know who you are," Danner announced proudly. And with a loving sideglance at Oriana, he added, "The resemblance is striking, you're both beautiful... I think I made the right choice asking her out all those months ago..."

Miranda's eyes immediately narrowed. "Let's not act like a bloody shallow bastard already, shall we?" she said icily.

Danner's jaw dropped at about the same time his hand did while Miranda sat down on a chair at their kitchen table, a satisfied smile on her face. She motioned towards the two free chairs on the opposite side of the table.

"Randa!" Oriana quickly grabbed Danner's arm and patted it reassuringly while the two of them sat down. And as Miranda simply raised an eyebrow and laced her fingers, placing them in front of her on the table, Oriana turned her head, seeking for help elsewhere. "Shepard!"

The addressed person, who was standing by the kitchen sink, sipping on a glass of water (since Miranda had made sure there was absolutely _no_ alcohol in their household - for a while at least...) turned around but just shrugged her shoulders. "You're on your own here, kid. Your sister threatened I'd have to sleep on our living room carpet if I should interfere and our varren can get _very_ territorial of that specific place at night..."

"So..." Miranda started, satisfied as Danner's nervous eyes shot to her again. "Danner..." _Oh, I'm going to enjoy this..._

Noticing Oriana's begging look, Shepard sighed and sat down on the free chair next to Miranda. She placed a calming hand on Miranda's thigh and patted it lightly while encouragingly smiling at both Oriana and Danner. Miranda's head whipped around, her expression immediately changing. Her icy glare turned into a loving glance, the predatory grin softened... Smiling lightly, Miranda decided to shorten her intimidation just a little bit. _Amazing how calming her presence can be... You're lucky, Danner... For now..._ She cleared her throat and turned her attention back on Danner. "How is school?"

Obviously irritated by the simple question, accompanied by Miranda's predatory gaze back in place once again, Danner shrugged his shoulders. "Erm... good, I guess..."

Miranda nodded, an expectant smile tugging at her lips. "And you go there regularly?"

Danner nodded cautiously. "Yeah... Since it's been rebuilt, of course..." he added.

"I see... So what about two days ago? Did you go to school _then_?"

Danner's head quickly shot to Oriana and then back to Miranda. "Yeah..." His answer sounded more like a question, causing the smile to finally spread across Miranda's face as this was exactly the answer she'd expected. "Well, I'm sure you'd be more than willing to explain to me then, why you were dragging my sister along while strolling around the city said day instead of learning for your future!" she calmly stated while placing a datapad on the table that showed Kasumi's pictures.

"We... what? How'd you...?" Danner's head feverishly shot from Miranda to Oriana, who groaned and buried her head in her hands.

* * *

"...going to start working for my parents."

_God, she looks good in this light..._

"Miranda?"

"Hm?" Miranda blinked and turned her head away from Shepard to face her sister.

"You were asking Danner about his plans for the future..." her sister stated, a knowing smile tugging at the corner of her mouth at the look her sister had just given Shepard.

"Right." Miranda ran a hand through her hair and cleared her throat. "Well, Danner... It seems you're a very... aspiring young man..."

"Randa!"

Miranda's predatory smile was back in place as she pulled the datapad still on the table towards her and scrolled through the pictures. _Let's see... I think I saw one where he was standing inappropriately close to her..._

She opened her mouth, but at that moment, the doorbell rang again. Trying her hardest to hide the satisfied smile on her face, Miranda raised her hands and called out in feigned surprise, "Who might that be?"

Oriana's narrowed eyes followed her sister as she left the kitchen to open the door.

"Sorry, I'm late. Had to hunt down some batarian first. Heh, didn't think there were still any of 'em left... might have even just catched the last one. Damn shame, should have kept his head as a trophy..." came a loud voice from the hallway.

"You certainly should have," Miranda answered, sounding mildly uninterested as she appeared in the kitchen door again, patting Zaeed's shoulder.

"Shepard." Zaeed nodded at the woman whose jaw had just dropped at his sight while he leaned against a countertop and crossed his arms. "So, who's this sorry excuse for a man?" he asked while scanning the kitchen's current occupants.

Miranda silently stepped behind Danner and cleared her throat while pointing at his back, Zaeed's eyes immediately locking on the poor boy who slumped down in his chair even more. "Wanna hear some war stories?"

* * *

"I think that went well..." Miranda stated smilingly as the door to their apartment hissed shut behind their visitors. She felt Shepard wrap her arms around her from behind, resting her head on her shoulder.

"I still can't wrap my head around the fact that you invited Zaeed..."

Miranda shrugged her free shoulder. "I simply thought it might be good for Danner to see how someone who _could_ take care of my sister looks like..."

Shepard snorted. "You'd want _Zaeed_ to date Oriana?"

"Don't be absurd! I just don't think Danner could scare off an enemy by slapping him with a datapad... And since Oriana doesn't seem to want _my_ help, I have to ensure she has someone who can protect her if need be." She sighed, her eyes narrowing. "And I don't like him..."

Shepard smiled. "You never asked your sister if she likes _me_..." she stated.

"What's there not to like?" Realising what she'd just said, Miranda bit her lower lip and prepared herself for a teasing answer that didn't come. Instead, Shepard simply tightened her embrace, smiling.

After a short silence, Miranda's eyebrow rose. "Are you blushing?"

"No..."

"Shepard, I can feel your cheeks heat up on my neck..."

"No you can't! I should go."

* * *

"So, you never, not even for a second, thought I'd cheated on you with Kasumi?" Miranda propped her chin in the palm of her hand and turned towards Shepard lying next to her.

Shepard smiled and waved her hand dismissively. "Nah, Kasumi's my friend. She would never do that..."

"But I would?" Miranda's eyebrow rose expectantly.

Shepard still smiled at her as she asked, "Did you consider it?"

"No!" Miranda exclaimed. _Damn it, why do _I_ always have to be the jealous one?_

Shepard sighed and sank back into the pillows. "Couldn't blame you, though. Her lips are very soft..."

"And how would you..." Miranda groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Forget I asked."

"Not as soft as yours, of course..." Shepard hurriedly added but Miranda had already turned away, slapping Shepard's hand off her shoulder.

"Too late..."

* * *

_A/N: I'm still trying to figure out how to include Kaidan into one of those chapters... God, that guy's dull... :) I can't even come up with an idea, so if anyone of you has an idea how Kaidan could appear in this story, and most of all: what he'd be doing in the future, please let me know, I'd appreciate it... :)  
As always (even though I don't mention it every time...) thanks a lot for your reviews!  
surfergirl3537: Nice enough? :)  
ninja duck 87: Yeah, our dog's the same, that's where I got the "inspiration" from... :)  
And to all other reviewers: Thank you! And please let me know what you think, love reading it!  
Up next: Garrus & Tali...  
_


	6. Chapter 6

**"This is just a fling, Vakarian. I'm using you for your body..."**

.

"I told you not to use mass effect fields in small, closed spaces..." Miranda turned her head away from the large screen showing the news and leaned on the couch's backrest.

"Yeah, but I also recall you telling me not to stop..." came Shepard's voice from their bathroom.

Miranda huffed. "No, I didn't," she murmured and quickly turned her head back to the screen, forcing the heat in her cheeks to vanish.

"God damn it! I'm no Engineer... I don't know how to put things back together, I just know how to destroy them..."

"Oh, and at _that_ you're very good..."

"Ha, funny! You could lend me a hand here, you know..."

A grin appeared on Miranda's face as she saw the opportunity to get even. She leaned her head back and shouted, "And here I thought I already had..."

A loud clashing sound could be heard from the bathroom and only seconds later, Shepard stood in the hallway, rubbing the back of her head as she approached the couch, slumping down on it with a heavy sigh. "I give up! I'll call someone in the morning... Hey, is that Joker?" Her head rose from the couch's backrest.

Miranda turned back to the screen and nodded. "M-hm, he's giving another interview..."

_"Mr. Moreau, is there anything you'd like to share with our audience?"_

_"Indeed, Ms. Al-Jilani, indeed..." _The camera zoomed in on Joker's face which was now filling the entire screen. _"Give love a chance, people! Be it love between organics and synthetics or..." _He gestured with his hands in search for another example._ "Turians and quarians..."_

_"Now that you mention it... You were on the Normandy when Mr. Vakarian and Ms. vas Normandy met. What can you tell us about _their_ relationship?"_

Joker nodded, grinning widely. _"Well, Ms. Al-Jilani... They just so happen to be on their honeymoon! And guess who's flying their ship and knows where they are right now..." _In case anyone didn't understand what he'd implied, he pointed with both of his thumbs at himself.

Shepard gave a short laugh. "What an ass! Ruining their honeymoon with all those reporters and-"

The doorbell rang, interrupting her. She shrugged her shoulders, got up and approached the door, accompanied by her curious varren. She activated the door controls and her eyes rose as the door opened.

"Did you see the interview?" Garrus asked, a nervous Tali wringing her hands behind him scanning the empty hallway.

* * *

"Keelah, Shepard, how did you-"

"That's already been this way!"

"U-huh... And what about-"

"That wasn't... okay, yeah, that was me. So... Can you fix it?"

"Hm..."

"Please?"

Garrus turned his head away from the open bathroom door and faced Miranda, who was standing next to him in their living room, contemplating the floor. "So... Ms. Lawson..."

Miranda raised her eyebrows expectantly. Garrus cleared his throat and nodded, turning his head away again and looking around the apartment. An awkward silence followed before he cleared his throat once more. "I take it you two are happy?"

Miranda's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Yes," she answered carefully.

Garrus nodded again, shooting a quick sideglance at the bathroom door where Shepard and Tali were still inspecting the damage. "You know..." His eyes were back on Miranda. "I'd still kick your ass if you'd hurt her... No offense..."

Miranda smiled. "And I respect you for still wanting to look out for her." She shrugged. "Although I would hand you _your_ ass over without even breaking a sweat... No offense..."

Garrus' mandibles twitched. "That true? Well, then maybe we should settle this once and for all in a shooting contest..." he offered.

Miranda rolled her eyes. "Please... I'm not Shepard. I don't need to participate in some bloody contest to prove my values..."

"But I'd love to see you shooting a sniper rifle just once," came Shepard's voice from behind them. Both turned and were greeted by Shepard and Tali standing in the hallway, Tali feverishly tapping commands into her omni-tool.

As her answer, Miranda's eyes simply narrowed and Shepard shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well, maybe I'll get you to do that in the following days... Garrus and I will have more than enough time to convince you, because these two..." She pointed at both Tali and Garrus, a wide grin on her face. "Are going to stay here for the next few days!"

Miranda's jaw dropped. "They're what?"

Shepard nodded eagerly. "Since Joker ruined their honeymoon, they will hide here until another shuttle can pick them up and fly them back to Rannoch," she announced.

Miranda's head shot back to Garrus, who nervously started scratching the nape of his neck, a habit he must have picked up from Shepard, Miranda suspected.

"Oh, come on, it's just for a few days..." Shepard snaked her arms around Miranda's waist. "It'll be fun..."

* * *

Night 2:

Miranda's eyes narrowed while she stared at their bedroom's ceiling. _Unbelievable! _She clenched her teeth and briskly turned to the side. _Preposterous!_ She groaned and grabbed a pillow, covering her ear with it. _Ridiculous!_ With an angry growl, she slammed the pillow against the nearby wall. Just when she was about to look for another outlet for her aggression (namely kicking Shepard or stealing her pillow to let it follow hers), she felt Shepard's lips on her shoulder.

"It's their honeymoon... Cut them some slack," the former commander murmured.

Miranda turned and faced her. "But do they have to be this loud? It's utterly absurd!" She buried her face in her hands. "How much longer are they going to stay?" she whined.

"I don't know..." Shepard shrugged. "Tali said they're already in contact with a shuttle from the fleet. They're on their way to pick them up. Shouldn't be longer than a few more days..."

Miranda groaned again.

"You know, since it's already loud, we could-"

"No!"

* * *

Day 4:

"Dextro-amino chocolate, dextro-amino milk, dextro-amino... whatever that is..." Miranda sighed and slammed the refrigerator door shut. She turned around and sat down next to Shepard on their kitchen table. "Where's our food?" she asked, sighing sadly.

Shepard leaned over and lovingly caressed her back. "I'll get us something. What do you want?" She got up from her chair and whistled once, her varren immediately speeding towards her. "That's a good boy! So, any wishes for breakfast today?"

Miranda's eyes narrowed. "Turian steak!" she grumbled.

Shepard gave a short laugh. "Come on, it's not that bad... Tali repaired our shower..." she offered, causing Miranda to involuntarily wince.

"Yes, and I just saw Garrus in it this morning... I'll never get that picture out of my head again!"

* * *

Day 7:

"...am standing in the area where an anonymous source has claimed to have seen Mr. Vakarian, accompanied by a varren, leaving one of those apartment buildings behind me in a dressing gown. As of today, we could neither confirm nor-"

A loud shot echoed from the nearby buildings as the camera bot hovering in front of Khalisah Bint Sinan Al-Jilani's face exploded. The reporter angrily slammed the datapad in her hand against a nearby wall. "That's it, I've had enough of this! That's the sixth camera bot today! The sixth!"

* * *

"Nice shot..." Shepard nodded approvingly as Miranda lifted the sniper rifle and rested it on her shoulder. Shepard leaned over the edge of their apartment building's roof and smiled as she watched the reporter down in the streets pack her things and get into the skycar with her asari girlfriend waiting for her. "Garrus?"

Miranda's eyebrow rose expectantly as she turned towards him and the turian nodded, sighing in defeat. "Yeah, that was a nice one... You win..." He sighed again. "This is definitely not my favorite spot on Earth..."

Shepard patted his shoulder as she took the heavy sniper rifle out of Miranda's hand and the trio turned towards the elevator door. "You _do_ realize that I missed on purpose back on the Citadel, right?"

His mandibles twitched. "Yeah right, keep telling yourself that..."

* * *

Day 7 (five minutes later) :

"Shepard! Miranda! Garrus! –hic– Varren!"

"Oh god, no, not again!"

"Where did she get the liquor?"

"How am I supposed to know? We don't have any... let's see... _turian_ brandy..."

"Ah crap, that was a wedding gift from my family back on Palaven. I thought I'd hidden it well enough..."

"Obviously not..."

"Not helping, Miranda... Could you get me a glass of water, please? Come on, Tali, let's get you to bed."

"Keelah, you have beautiful eyes!"

"Yeah... I know, Tali. I know..."

"My brandy... She drank the entire bottle..."

"Not helping either, Garrus... Now go tend to your wife, she's trying to take off my shirt..."

"She's bloody _what_?"

* * *

Day 9:

"Are they gone?"

The door behind Shepard hissed shut and she nodded. "They're on their way back to Rannoch," she announced smilingly.

"Thank god!" Miranda sighed in relief.

"I found something while I was escorting them to the shuttle, though..."

Miranda's eyes narrowed. "And what's that?"

"Well..." Shepard shrugged her shoulders. "Since you've proven to be capable of having room mates..."

Miranda's hand rose. "Don't. You. Even. Dare-" She stopped as Shepard presented what she'd been hiding behind her back. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of the small pyjak clinging to Shepard's hand. Shepard's eyebrows rose expectantly.

"Come on, I know you want to hold him..."

Miranda swallowed once and then shrugged her shoulders, trying to maintain an emotionless expression. "Well, I guess it couldn't hurt... Since you've already bought him, I mean..."

Shepard's smile widened as she handed the pet over to Miranda, the pyjak immediately curling into a ball in her arms. She sighed, running a finger over its head. "I had no idea they were so tiny when they're young..."

"I know right? I'd have never shot them on Tuchanka if I'd known how fluffy they were..."


	7. Chapter 7

**"So you do care, Mr. Vega..."**

.

_A/N: To your reviews... Talhiri, you're right, pyjaks can be a pest. He actually already screwed up my timeline (I guess I'll let the varren eat him when he gets too annoying) ... :) I had to add him to the first chapter, but don't worry, you don't have to go back there and read it again... Here are the parts I've changed (or rather added the pyjak)... You're all very welcome... ;)_

* * *

Her smile widened at the groan coming from the bed as a pillow was pulled over dark hair. The pyjak who'd been sleeping on it shot an angry glare at Shepard on behalf of its owner, whose head was currently covered by the pillow stolen from under him, before he curled back into a ball. Shepard winked at the pyjak, amazed at how similar his glare had become by now. _Just like her..._

* * *

Miranda's head shot up, her hair slightly tousled. "My eyes didn't sparkle." And seeing Shepard's imitation of her expression that fateful day and realising that she didn't have another pillow to throw (and her pyjak had grown on her by now, so that option was out of the question as well...), she simply growled while narrowing her eyes dangerously, the pyjak next to her imitating her expression. Unlike Shepard, the varren got the warning and hurriedly left the room.

* * *

_A/N: Leene, if there's a hate list of the KAAS, I wanna make it to the top there... :) And, as always: your wish is my command, I've named the pets (still don't know what's wrong with "varren" and "pyjak" though... ;) ). Their names will change again, but I'll reveal them in a following chapter... And believe it or not: I had no idea you get renegade points for killing them. I actually ran over one of them accidentally with my Mako... Still haunts me... ;)  
To the timeline I mentioned before... Let's say the first chapter plays in the present, all following chapters tell what happened before and this chapter right here picks up where the first chapter stopped. Don't worry, it sounds more complicated than it really is, you'll know what I mean once you read it... As for the timeline, the next chapter (which will be the last one) should make it clear why I chose it. And before anyone starts with threats, I'll explain what happens to the story in the next chapter. This note's already pretty long, so before it gets longer than the actual story... enjoy... :)  
_

_.  
_

"Shepard, can't you show her your spaceship collection when we get back?"

Miranda turned her attention back to the little asari in her arms and whispered, "And don't you dare making a mess of my clothes again or we'll push you out the window together." Benezia gurgled and happily wriggled her feet in agreement.

"Coming..." Shepard appeared in the doorframe of their bedroom, followed by Shiala who proudly patted her new toy.

"An omni-blade?" Miranda burst out. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Tali designed it, it's perfectly safe, trust me."

Miranda shook her head. "Liara will have your head for this if she finds out about it..."

Shepard waved her off. "Ah, don't worry, she can't hurt anyone with it. See?" She pointed at the small asari standing next to her, poking Shepard's thigh with the flickering omni-blade. "It's just for show, in case there are any mean batarians at school..." She caressed Shiala's crest and the young asari nodded eagerly. Shepard smiled and approached Miranda. "And this..." She produced a plush elcor from behind her back and handed it to Benezia, who immediately closed her hands around it and giggled happily. "Is for you..."

"Well, at least one good idea today... You're improving..." Miranda remarked dryly before she winked at Benezia. "Ready?"

Shepard shot Shiala a quick sideglance and they both nodded in unison. _Ugh. _Miranda rolled her eyes as she turned on her heels and left their apartment.

* * *

"Shepard, there's a blonde man following us..." Miranda grabbed Shepard's arm with her free hand as she looked over her shoulder.

Shepard stopped and turned, sighing heavily as she spotted the figure quickly hiding behind a tree at a distance. "I'll be right back," she murmured and let go of Shiala's hand, gently shoving her towards Miranda who placed a protective hand on the asari's shoulder. The trio watched Shepard approach the tree with quick steps. "No means no, Kaidan!" the former commander yelled in her pace.

After a few more steps, she had finally reached the tree and was now shouting at the person hiding behind it, gesticulating wildly to emphasize her words. "For the last time: I'm not interested. Now go home! Shoo! How did you even find me here? Is that a wig? And a fake moustache?" She threw her arms up. "I don't believe this!"

Shiala tugged at Miranda's arm. "Who is that jerk?"

A smile spread across Miranda's face as she knelt down beside the asari. "He was your mom's competition on the first Normandy..." she explained, turning her head from Shiala to Benezia in her arms.

Shiala snorted. "Yeah, right..." Noticing Miranda's expression, she raised an eyebrow. "You're serious?" Even Benezia seemed perplexed. She had stopped moving and was staring at Miranda with wide eyes, her mouth slightly open.

Miranda simply shrugged her shoulders and got back up, her smile returning. Shiala gave a short laugh. "Wow, I'll have to ask her about that..." she decided before they all turned their heads back to Shepard who was now pointing in their direction.

"I've got a hungry varren over there who hasn't eaten today, so if you don't leave RIGHT NOW..." she threatened, which obviously seemed to have worked... They could hear a loud shriek as Kaidan jumped out of cover and ran away, the blonde wig unnoticedly falling to the ground behind him.

Shepard turned and walked back to the small group waiting for her, taking a deep breath while she ran a hand through her hair. Her smile returned. "So, who wants ice cream?"

* * *

"Babe, I've got your ice-" James' eyes widened as the two women standing next to Cortez turned around. "Hey, Lola..."

"James." Shepard smiled and nodded towards the newcomer.

Steve Cortez' eyes shot from Shepard to James, who was still holding two dishes of ice cream in his hands, looking a little lost. The shuttle pilot scratched his forehead. "Erm... I was just telling Shepard about... us..."

_Us? _"Right, right..." James cleared his throat, evading Shepard's amused eyes, feeling the panic inside of him rise while he wondered how much Shepard knew by now...

Shepard answered his unspoken question swiftly. "What are the chances..." She shook her head, musing, "You two still serving on the same ship... Together..." Her smile turned into a grin. "You seem to be inseparable..." Miranda rolled her eyes. Shepard seemed to enjoy torturing that poor guy...

Benezia started wiggling in Miranda's arms and she lowered her head to smile at the baby. Satisfied that she had Miranda's attention again, Benezia squeaked happily and seized the finger tickling her stomach, still clinging to the plush elcor with her free hand. Miranda smiled at her once again before she raised her head and let her eyes wander over the park, spotting Shiala chasing a small turian across the playground nearby. She turned her attention back to the awkward conversation taking place next to her. James was still clinging to the ice cream, obviously unsure what to do next while his face had taken on a light shade of red...

Shepard was just turning to leave, placing an arm around Miranda's midsection. "Well, don't let me keep you... Wouldn't want that ice cream to melt in the heat, now would we?" She winked, despite Miranda's ellbow colliding with her ribs.

"Yeah, yeah..." James, ever the fluent speaker, nodded, quickly handing one of the dishes to Steve and punching the pilot's shoulder with his now free fist. "We better get going then," he announced, nodding insecurely. "You know... doing... manly stuff... like men do... real... manly men..." He cleared his throat. "Which we are..." He stirred the already melting ice cream with a tiny spoon, which looked even smaller in his big hands, and licked the ice cream off it.

"Right." Shepard nodded, smiling affectionately as she turned, waving her goodbyes to the two stressed men, both relaxing as soon as Shepard had turned her back on them.

Once they were far enough away, Shepard chuckled. "Garrus owes me 200 credits..."

Rolling her eyes once more, Miranda sighed. "I didn't ask..."

They sat down on a nearby bench, Shepard waving at Shiala as soon as the asari looked up from the turian's back she was now sitting on, waving back with her free hand while her other hand still pressed the turian's face in the sand underneath them.

"Adorable..." Shepard sighed.

"Well, as long as she doesn't use her new-" Miranda stopped, turning on the bench to face Shepard, her eyebrows raised expectantly.

Shepard bit her lower lip and nodded. "I'll go and get her..."

* * *

"That was absolutely uncalled for, Javik."

"That hanar was insulting me with its stupidity!"

"He simply asked you for an autograph..."

"Those aliens shouldn't worship us like gods."

"And yet the Protheans saw themselves as a superior race during their cycle, which they thought gave them the right to dominate all other supposedly weaker races..."

"Shut up, asari!"

"I. Have. A-"

"Dr. T'Soni..."

"Sounds like your mom's coming to pick you up..." Shepard got up from the living room carpet, where she and Shiala had just had a small competition to see whose biotically lifted space ship model could float through the air longer, and approached the door with the young asari following close behind her. Miranda rolled her eyes at Shiala's eagerness to follow Shepard everywhere she went. She just hoped the young asari wouldn't take on even more of her role model's traits, or else she was pretty sure Liara would search for another babysitter in the future...

The door opened and Liara smiled at them, the exhaustion she'd felt before immediately vanishing as Shiala swung her arms around her mother's midsection. Shepard quickly scanned the empty hallway. Obviously, Javik had already taken his leave, probably sulking on his way down in the elevator right now... Oh well...

"I hope they weren't a burden... Did they behave?" Liara caressed Shiala's crest, her concerned features relaxing as Shepard nodded.

"Miranda would have been nagging me for the next couple of weeks if she wouldn't have been able to see her niece..."

A short laugh could be heard from the living room. "You're lucky I've got my hands full right now..."

Shepard winked and leaned in close to whisper, "She loved it," before she nodded down the hallway. Liara followed her and a smile spread across her face at the touching scene in front of her... Miranda was sitting on the couch, Benezia sleeping peacefully in her arms, still clinging to the plush elcor. Shepard's smile widened as she noticed Liara's expression. Obviously, she hadn't been the only one noticing how much the former 'ice queen' had changed and how natural a baby in her arms looked. Not that she'd ever tell her that, of course... Shepard planned on having all her bones as intact and in place as they were right now...

Miranda's head rose and she smiled, carefully shifting the asari's weight in her arms as she got up from the couch and handed her to her mother. Benezia didn't even stir as Liara took her, lightly touching Miranda's arm and mouthing 'Thank you'. The former Cerberus operative smiled and nodded.

"Well then..." Liara turned her head to look for Shiala, finding her standing right next to her, quickly hiding the omni-blade behind her back. Liara's eyebrow rose but she still smiled as she turned back to Shepard and Miranda. "It's time for us to go home, little ones... Let Shepard and Miranda get their well-deserved rest," she announced and hugged Miranda before Shepard led them to the door. Shiala smiled and waved at Miranda before she followed her mother and they left the apartment.

"We'll still have to talk about your new toy, young lady..."

"But Moooooom, it's absolutely safe!"

"Are you going to explain that to all those shocked parents in the future or will that be my job?"

Miranda heard the door to their apartment hiss shut and she sank back into their couch, Shepard sitting down next to her only seconds later. A silence followed as they both watched the passing skycars outside their window. Realizing how empty and silent their apartment suddenly was, Miranda gave a heavy sigh. Shepard patted her thigh and turned her head, smiling. "We still have each other..." she offered, and as Miranda simply raised her eyebrow, she added, "And we still have our pets."

Miranda nodded absent-mindedly, a smile still tugging at the corner of her mouth. Shepard, not yet satisfied with the reaction, leaned closer. "You know, I think we should name them..." Miranda finally turned her head and Shepard nodded eagerly. "I was thinking about 'Gabby' and 'Ken'..." she announced, nodding in their pet's direction.

The Normandy's bickering Engineers?Miranda's raised eyebrow lowered as their pyjak sped past them, victoriously dragging the varren's favorite sleeping-blanket with him, an enraged varren chasing after him. She shrugged. Shepard had a point...

As soon as their pets were out of sight, she turned on the couch, placing her arm on the backrest and challengingly faced Shepard. "What if the pyjak's a 'he'?"

Shepard shrugged her shoulders. "Ah, who knows with these things?" She grinned. "Besides, he always struck me as the feminine one..."

Miranda snorted. "Right... Because your varren is the embodiment of masculinity..."

As if on cue, the varren whimperingly plodded back into the living room and sat down at Shepard's feet. The commander immediately leaned forward and started caressing the back of his head. "Oh, did he take away your favorite blanket?"

Miranda gave a short laugh. "You said 'he'," she announced, but Shepard just waved her off and turned back to her varren.

"I'll get it back, wait here!" she announced and got up, determinedly approaching their bedroom. Not long after, they could hear a displeased squeak followed by rumbling as Shepard obviously chased the pyjak around the room to get her varren's stolen blanket back.

Miranda turned to the varren still sitting in front of the couch and they both looked at each other for a moment before Miranda sighed and shrugged her shoulders, the varren giving an aggreeing whimper before they both turned their heads towards the door.

"Stop right there, you little..." Shepard roared. "You know, back in the day, we would just run over little pests like you..." That seemed to have done the job since Shepard left their bedroom only seconds later, grinning as she walked back to the couch and put the blanket back on the floor where it belonged, the varren happily curling into a ball on it.

"I think we should re-think those names again... I was thinking about 'sweetie pie' and 'satan'..."


	8. Chapter 8

**"I've had enough of your tabloid** **journalism!"**  
.

"Commander Shepard? Over here..."

_Oh crap!_

* * *

The door to their apartment hissed open and Shepard stormed in, immediately turning on her heels and hammering at the controls to close it again.

"We need to find another apartment!" she declared, still panting from her run up here. "We need to move out. Now!"

Miranda raised her head from the datapad she'd just been reading, a steaming cup of coffee in her other hand. "Why? What's wrong with this one?" And after a quick sideglance at Shepard's pet happily greeting its owner, she added, "Do you know how hard it is to find a landlord that allows a varren in their apartments?"

"It's not the apartment," Shepard started, hurrying into their bedroom. "It's-"

The doorbell rang and Miranda set the datapad and coffee cup down before she approached the door, skillfully evading the varren speeding past her. She'd gotten used to his behavior by now...

"Don't!" Shepard's head appeared in the doorframe.

Miranda turned her head back to her, a questioning eyebrow raised. "What's wrong with you today?" She took another step towards the door.

Shepard vigorously shook her head. "Just don't open that doo-"

Miranda's brows furrowed in irritation. Her hand dropped from the door controls just as it hissed open. She shrugged, Shepard groaned.

"Commander Shepard?"

Miranda turned back to the person standing in front of their door and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "And you are...?"

The man waved her off and started scanning the apartment behind her without another word. Miranda's eyes narrowed and she was about to address the rude intruder a second time (or just push him through the entire corridor with her biotics... After all, that _was _a very rude behavior! How dare he?), as they both heard a low growl coming from the bedroom. Shepard stepped back into the hallway and approached the door, the man's face immediately lighting up at her sight.

"Commander Shepard, I knew it was you!"

Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "Conrad, what are you doing here?"

Conrad Verner straightened as he proudly announced, "I live here."

"You what?"

He nodded eagerly. "Yes, me and my wife, that is..." His eyes widened. "Oh, I should introduce you two! Just a second..." He turned and happily added over his shoulder, "Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back!" as he skipped down the hallway.

Shepard gave another sigh as she buried her head in Miranda's neck. "That's the one you shot in the foot, right?" Miranda smiled as the former commander nodded.

"Well, he seems-"

"He's got a shrine of me!"

Miranda's eyebrow rose but before she could open her mouth (not that there would have been a proper answer for a statement like this to begin with...), they heard Conrad's voice in the hallway again and soon after, he was standing in front of their door, dragging an asari along with him. Shepard lifted her head and her jaw immediately dropped as she recognized the person smiling at her.

"Nelyna, meet Commander Shepard," Conrad introduced them proudly. And conspiratorially, he added, "We met at a Commander Shepard fan convention..."

Miranda snorted. So Oriana hadn't been joking when she'd told her about the event she and Danner had come across during one of their holiday trips..._ Thank god she didn't buy the 'Commander Shepard bobblehead' she told me about..._

The asari offered her hand. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Commander." She smiled.

Shepard shook the still smiling asari's hand and recoiled immediately, turning away as a sudden heat rushed through her entire body. "Fingertips..." she whispered to herself while she shook her hands as if she'd burned them.

Miranda touched Shepard's arm lightly, a concerned look on her face. "Shepard, are you all right?"

The former commander straightened up immediately and took a deep breath, nodding.

Nelyna's chuckle made Miranda turn back to their visitors. The asari nodded. "So you do remember me, Commander... It's been quite some time..." Turning to Miranda, she added. "You should know, I used to work at the Consortium on the Citadel... That's where I met Commander Shepard many years ago."

Miranda's eyes narrowed. "You worked for the Consort?" she asked in disbelief and Nelyna nodded, still smiling as she locked eyes with Shepard once more. The former commander seemed to have regained her composure suspiciously fast and returned the smile.

Conrad cleared his throat and turned to his wife. "You never told me that you know the Commander."

Nelyna turned to him. "I didn't? I thought I'd mentioned it sometime..." She shrugged. "Oh well, maybe I was just so fascinated by _your_ stories about her that I simply... forgot..." Smiling, she linked arms with him, the simple motion seeming to soothe the man immediately. Conrad visibly relaxed and nodded, obviously satisfied with her answer, while Miranda's eyes narrowed some more...

"Well, I certainly never thought I'd live next to the famous Commander Shepard," Nelyna smiled, looking down the hallway to their own apartment. "You know, since I've stopped working for the Consort, I found I have a lot of free time now... It would be a shame to let my talents go to waste and I believe we still have some... unfinished business..." She winked at her.

Shepard's smile widened and, oblivious to Miranda's suspicious gaze, her eyes started gleaming as she nodded. "We certainly do..." She gave a short laugh, which immediately died in her throat as she noticed Miranda's expression next to her. Rubbing the nape of her neck, Shepard cleared her throat and hastily faced Conrad. "What happened to Jenna, by the way?" she tried to change the subject.

"Who?"

Shepard cocked her head to the side. "Jenna, the girl who saved your life in the Citadel Holding Area..." she offered, her eyes narrowing incredulously.

"Oh, Jenna... yeah..." Conrad waved his hand dismissively. "It didn't work out..." And before Miranda could open her mouth to question this strange man's ability to bond, or offer the advice that a Commander Shepard shrine might be a bit too much for a girlfriend to handle, he spread his arms and exclaimed, "But hey, since we all know each other now, why don't you come over? We can have some drinks and talk about good old times..."

_Having drinks with Conrad Verner? _Shepard involuntarily shuddered and shot him an apologetic smile. "Oooh, I'd love to, I really would, but see... There is this thing... we... need to do..." Shepard turned to Miranda for help, who, after noticing the pleading look, immediately started nodding.

"Right, that thing..." She activated her omni-tool. "My, is that the hour? We should _really_ get going." Turning back to Shepard, she added, "We're already late..."

Shepard's eyes lit up. _I love this woman! _She grabbed Miranda's arm and they both stepped out of their apartment and shoved past Conrad and his wife.

"Well, it's been great seeing you again, Conrad, Nelyna, but... maybe another time?" Shepard added over her shoulder as they hurriedly approached the elevator.

"Sure thing!" Conrad nodded eagerly as he waved his hand. "This is gonna be _so _awesome. We're going to be neighbors!"

"Yay, can't wait!" Shepard muttered under her breath while they waited for the elevator doors to open.

Miranda smiled and waved to the two people still standing in front of their closed apartment door before she followed Shepard into the elevator. _Having one of the Consort's former employees as a neighbor?_ She shuddered involuntarily at all the possible scenarios shooting through her head at the thought."We are definitely moving out!" she declared as soon as the doors closed behind her.

* * *

"It's supposed to be in this building. He said we could interview him in his apartment. According to him, he knows everything there is to know about- Commander Shepard? Over here..."

_Oh come on, really?_

Khalisah Bint Sinan Al-Jilani waved at the couple just exiting the apartment building.

Shepard sighed, but immediately paused as she felt an almost forgotten instinct rise within her... She turned to Miranda, a pleading look on her face. "Can I hit her?"

"Don't you dare!"

Shepard took a step towards the reporter regardless, but Miranda grabbed her arm and held her back. "Shepard, the Alliance won't help you out this time if you hit her. Why do you think, you never had to deal with any charges for hitting her during every single interview before?"

Shepard paused. "Huh, you're right..." She shrugged. "Oh well, would have been fun, though..." Having suddenly lost her interest in the reporter still standing in front of them, she offered Miranda her arm. "Coffee?"

"You bet!" _As long as it gets us away from all these people..._

They started walking and were about to pass the still waving reporter when Khalisah suddenly raised her finger.

"Just a second..." she murmured as she feverishly started tapping commands into her omni-tool. Shepard and Miranda exchanged a quick look and both shrugged. It seemed the reporter had something she wanted to show them...

"There we go," Khalisah finally announced a couple of seconds later and she was immediately wrapped in a complete body armor, its shields shimmering alternately in blue and orange.

_Look who couldn't decide how to improve her armor... Heh, did she use both Fortification _and _Barrier?_ Shepard crossed her arms in front of her chest, an amused smile on her face.

"Not this time!" Khalisah announced, a superior smile on her face.

_Right..._ "Let's go." Shepard pulled Miranda with her and together they passed the reporter, who'd meanwhile pulled out her datapad and was shouting after them.

"Commander Shepard, could you tell-"

"I'm afraid I can't help you, Ms. Al-Jilani," Shepard shouted over her shoulder, never slowing down her pace as she walked away.

"But surely there's something you could tell our audience about your former crew. Are you still in contact with any of them?"

"Nope."

"And what about the people who claim to have seen Mr. Vakarian around here a few months ago? I am sure it was him... Was he visiting you?"

"Nope."

"And what about-"

Shepard had enough. She stopped and spun back around, satisfied that Khalisah had finally stopped with her questions, obviously expecting some kind of answer. The former commander narrowed her eyes for effect and then gasped in feigned shock.

"Did your barrier just flicker?"

"What? Where?" Khalisah's eyes widened and she feverishly started searching her armor for any signs of damage. "It's supposed to be perfectly safe!" she exclaimed.

Feeling Shepard tug at her arm, Miranda gave an annoyed sigh and turned around. The former commander winked at her and Miranda rolled her eyes. _The faster we get this over with..._ She sighed again and then turned to the still squirming reporter.

"Why yes, there it was again!" she exclaimed, pointing at Khalisah's armor. "I heard the explosion from a malfunctioning barrier can kill you..." she mused, making sure to speak loud enough for the shocked reporter to hear her.

Faced with this new, possible danger, Khalisah immediately started hacking commands into her omni-tool and the shields died down, leaving the reporter panting heavily.

"I guess we'll do the interview some other time, then..." Snickering, Shepard turned back around and pulled Miranda away from the reporter who was still checking her omni-tool, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"We're such a good team..."

"Can we please get our coffee now? I had to leave mine in the apartment..."

* * *

"Hey, watch the head!"

Both Shepard and Miranda (each stomach filled with fresh coffee and a muffin) stopped dead in their tracks. There, in front of them, was Conrad, nervously mincing around two turians carrying a life-size statue of...

Shepard blinked. A life-size statue of herself! One of the turians grunted while the other mumbled something unintelligible as they slowly made their way into the entrance of the apartment building.

Shepard and Miranda looked at each other, both opening their mouths at the same time.

"We definitely need to find another place!"

* * *

_A/N: I'm not exactly happy with this chapter, I might rewrite it some other time, but right now, I just want to get it over with and end this part of the story..  
Which leads me to the promised explanation... This is just the end of the first, let's call it "story arc". I thought it's kind of fitting to end it with them being forced to move out of their first apartment.  
I'll upload the first two chapters for the next story arc right after this once, so make sure to check for the new story (I have to see how many letter-spaces I've got for the title, so I can't tell it just yet, sorry... :) ), but as always: thanks for all your reviews and feel free to tell me if there's anything you'd like to read or any characters I've missed to mention/include in this first story arc. Thank you :)  
_


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